Why Am I Not Losing Weight on the Insanity Workout?

by
GABRIELLE DION Last Updated: Aug 11, 2013

Gabrielle Dion

A resident of Edgewood, Ky., Gabrielle Dion has been writing professionally since 1997. In college, she served as editor-in-chief of her campus newspaper, "The Northerner." Dion has worked as a freelance writer for the "Cincinnati Enquirer" and blogged for Cincinnati.com, where she chronicled her first marathon-training experience. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Northern Kentucky University.

There are few reasons as to why you might not be losing weight on the Insanity Workout.Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images

While Insanity boasts hundreds of success stories on its website, not everyone who shells out the $200 price tag for the DVDs will achieve the same results as the tight and toned bodies pictured on their promotional materials. Despite its claims on late-night infomercials as an quick and effective way to get a rock hard body, you may not achieve desired results with Insanity if you aren’t following the program exactly as instructed.

What is Insanity?

The Insanity 60-day total body conditioning program is one of several popular at-home fitness DVD collections sold by Beachbody Fitness that claims to burn up to 1,000 calories per hour. The program is designed as an interval training cardio workout where the user performs long bursts of maximum-intensity aerobic exercises followed by short periods of rest. The package consists of 10 DVDs between 20 and 80 minutes long, and leads users through an at-home series of exercises which require no weights or other equipment. Beachbody Fitness offers a 30-day 100 percent satisfaction guarantee for the Insanity DVD set, and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau as of April 2011.

Diet is Key

Despite the program's money-back guarantee, the user has to do the work to see the results. Like any weight loss program, a healthy diet and exercise must go hand-in-hand in order for either to be effective and those who don't follow a diet while on the Insanity program may not see weight loss. Following a somewhat restricted diet is one of the keys to showing positive results from the program, according to the American Council on Exercise’s chief science officer, Dr. Cedric Bryant.

Further, it's not recommended that the user follow just any diet while attempting to do the Insanity workout. According to Beach Body Fitness, “When you’re digging into this ultra-extreme fitness regimen, you can’t go low-calorie or low-carb.” The diet included in the DVD package recommends that users eat five meals a day, none too large or too small.

Not for Beginners

Another reason that you may not be losing weight while following the Insanity program is that it is not meant for beginners, and therefore novice exercisers may not be performing the movements correctly or with the appropriate intensity needed to successfully lose weight. You need to be in good physical condition prior to beginning Insanity, Bryant says. Further, Bryant cautions that Insanity is not suitable for everyone, particularly individuals with orthopedic issues or joint problems. Those with health issues that prevent them from doing the exercises at maximum intensity may not achieve their desired weight loss results.

Sticking with It

The 60-day Insanity workout is meant to be effective for those who complete the workouts in the appropriate order in which they were designed and in their entirety, according to Beach Body Fitness. Insanity won’t work if you do a couple weeks of it and then quit, or you do a day here and there, according to Trek 2 Be Fit. As reported by the American Council on Exercise, "Along with the success stories were reports of injuries and burnout as few people have the motivation to maintain such high levels of intensity for long periods of time." However, a relatively fit individual without orthopedic issues should achieve satisfactory results with the Insanity program.

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